Containers



May 31, 1960 G. R. DEMPSTER ETAL 2,938,641

CONTAINERS Filed Oct. 29, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 BY i ATTORNEYS May 31,1196() G. R. DEMPSTER ETAI- 2,938,641

CONTAINERS Filedloct. 29, 1957 2 Smets-sheet 2 ATTORNEKS CONTAINERS George R. Dempster and William A. Herpch, Knoxville, Tenn., assignors to Dempster Brothers, Inc., Knoxville, Tenn., a corporation of Tennessee Filed Oct. 29, 1957, Ser. No. 693,167

2 Claims. (Cl. 214-317) This invention relates to containers, and more particularly to drop bottom containers for transporting and dumping equipment of the type disclosed in several United States patents granted to George R. Dempster, as represented by No. 2,305,148, December 15, 1942, and No. 2,369,722, February 20, 1945.

Containers of this general type may be used for the handling of many different kinds of materials. Usually, such a container is lled from an opening in the top or side thereof while its drop bottom is held in a closed position. Then, it is transported by a special vehicle to a location where the material contained therein is t be dumped, and at such location, the bottom of the container is swung open to discharge the contents of the container.

In using such containers, it has been a practice for many years to lift them onto the transporting vehicle by means of chains which may be attached at one end to the movable bottom member of the container and at the other end to suitable power means, such as hydraulically actuated booms, by which the chains may be raised. This permits the chains to serve a dual function in that they not only lift the container onto the vehicle chassis but also hold the bottom of the container in the closed position during the lifting operation. Thereafter, when it is desired to dump the contents of the container, the chains may be slacked `0H so that the drop bottom of the container will swing down under the influence of gravity to discharge the contents of the container.

As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, the lifting of a container by means of chains attached to the drop bottom member of the container poses a stability problem. This problem has been solved very satisfactorily by attaching the chains to the bottom member of the container at points disposed substantially above the lower end of the container. Dempster patents, Nos. 2,305,148 and 2,369,722, illustrate the basic structural arrangement by which this result may be accomplished.

The latter of these patents discloses a triangular framework protruding upwardly from each lateral edge of the bottom member of the container in overlapping relationship with respect to the lower end portions of the side walls of the container. The chains for lifting the container are connected to the apices of these triangular upwardly projecting frameworks, so that the lifting force may be applied to the container at a level substantially above its lower end.

Similarly, in Patent No. 2,305,148, the bottom member of the container is provided with upwardly extending triangular projections, to the apices of which the lifting chains are attached. In this case, however, 4the upwardly extending triangular projections t within notches cut in the lower end portions of the side walls of the container. This arrangement represents a substantial saving in material, and it has been employed extensively in practice. However, it should be noted that the upper edges of the triangular projections on the bottom member must abut exactly against the lower edges of the triangular notches ited States Patent F Patented May 31, 1960 in the side walls of the container, because the projections and the side walls must cooperate to close the sides of the container. Any lateral displacement of such a projection from the vertical plane of the side wall with which it cooperates results in the formation of ian undesirable opening or crack in the side of the container.

Consequently, it has been a practice heretofore to provide containers of 4this type with elongated guides attached to the inner and outer surfaces of the side walls adjacent the edges of such notches. The guides have included angularly extending portions which protrude beyond the edges of the notches to guide the upper edges of the projections into abutting relationship with respect to the edges of the notches. See, for example, Jones patent, No. 2,772,919, granted December 4, 1956, and Dempster patent, No. 2,693,773, granted November 9, 1954.

Such guides have proved to be adequate for many applications. However, it has been noted that, in instances where a container rests upon uneven ground, Vit is not uncommon for the upward projections on the bottom member to separate slightly from the notches in the side walls of the container, leaving holes between the side walls and the projections on the bottom member. This result probably is due to the fact that a twisting load is imposed upon the bottom member'and the side walls in such circumstance, tending to displace the triangular projections laterally relative to the planes of the side walls.

It is an object of this invention to overcome the objection just mentioned and to provide a container construction in which the projections on the closure member tit smoothly with respect to the notches in the walls of the container even when the container is disposed upon uneven support surfaces.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved drop bottom container constnlction in which the strength of the sides of the container is enhanced.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide the side walls of a dropbottom container with improved guide means which not only' guide the projections on the bottom member during the closing movements thereof but also serve to hold the projections in place during use of the container.

These objects may be accomplished according to one embodiment of the invention by the provision of live guides secured rigidly to the respective side walls of a drop bottom container of the type having notched side walls which cooperate with triangular vertical projections on a pivoted bottom member in the manner described above. Two of these guides are disposed on the exterior of each side wall, and the remaining three guides are disposed on the interior thereof.

The shape and arrangement of the two guides on the exterior of a side wall may be conventional. Each of these guides is in the form of an elongated plate extending along an edge of the triangular notch in the side wall and overlapping such edge. The plate is bent outwardly along a line approximately coincident with the edge of the notch to form an inwardly sloping guide surface against which an edge of a vertical projection on the drop bottom member may bear during the closing of the bottom.

Two of the three guides securing to the inside surface of a side wall are generally similar to the exterior guides. However, they are much shorter than the exterior guides and they are disposed adjacent the lower end portions of the elongated exterior guides. Each of these short guides includes an outwardly sloping guide surface terminating at the edge of the notch in the side wall for contacting and guiding an edge of a projection on the bottom member when the bottom is being closed.

The third interior guide secured to a side wall differs substantially from the guides which have been used here- TheV lower edgeV When the notches in both of the side Walls of Va container are backed up in this manner, relative movement between the projections on the bottom member and the side walls is'etfectively prevented. The third interior guide also includes a depending second portion which is bent'inwardly to-V form an' outwardly sloping guide surface ifor guiding the projection into the plane of the side Wall during closing of the container.

This embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the container;

Fig. 2 is a sidek elevation thereof, showing the bottom member of theV container in a closed position;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section on the line 3 3 in Fig. l, but showing the bottom member of the container in an open position; Y

' Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail cross section on the line 4 4 in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail cross section on the line 5 5 in Fig. 2.

Referring to Figs. l and 2, the container of this invention is illustrated as having a front wall 10, a rear wall 11, and side or end walls -12 and 13, rigidly connected together by welding, or other suitable means, to form a side wall assembly of substantial strength and rigidity.

' The upper end of' the side wall assembly normally is closed by a pair of doors, one of which is designated'by the numeral 14 in Fig. 2. These doors are pivotally mounted upon transversely extending shafts 15 and 16, so that they may be swung open to permit'lling of the container. A coil spring 17, having its ends connected respectively to a door 14 and a member fixed with respect to the side wall assembly, surrounds each of the shafts 15 and 116 and serves to counterbalance the door to which it is connected. These counterbalancing springs 17 assist materially in the opening of the doors 14. Normally, however, the doors 14 are held in closed positions by latches 18 which cooperate with keepers 18 in a manner which will be apparent.

The bottom ofthe container is closed by a drop bottom member, designated generally by the numeral 19, which is connected to the front wall 1t? of the container by suitable hinge means 20. Channelsnaped supports 21 pref erably are fixed to the' bottom member 19, so that' the container may rest upon the ground, or some other surface, during the loading of the container.

in order that the container may cooperate with transporting and dumping vehicles of the type disclosed, for example, in the Dempster patents referred to above, the bottom member'19 includes not only a horizontally extending closure plate 22, but also a pair of upwardly extending triangular projections 23 and 24 disposed, respectively, in thc planes ofthe end walls 12 and 13 of the container. As shown best in Figs. 2 and 3, these projections 23 and 24 are adapted to cooperate with and close triangular notches 25 in the lower ends of the side walls 12 and 13.

With this construction, the bottom member 19 includes portions which actually extend substantially above the lower end of the container, and these portions serve toV support laterally projecting lifting pins 26 and 27, which may be engaged by chains on the transporting and dump-V ing equipment. The chains serve to lift the entire container from the position in which it is loaded onto the vehicle, to hold the bottom member 19 of the container in its closed position during the lifting of the container, and then to permit the opening of the bottom of the container under the in'uence of gravity to dump the material 4 Y from the container. This procedure and the mechanisms by which it may be carried outl are disclosed in greater detail in the aforesaid Dempster patents, and reference should be made thereto for a complete understanding of the manner in which the present invention is utilized.

The container illustrated in theV drawings also includes boom rests 28 and 29 rigidly secured to therside walls 12 and 13, and a cross bail 30 disposed within a recess 31 in the front wall 10 of the container. These elements also serve to cooperate with the transporting and dumping equipment, and their functions will be apparent from the aforesaid Dempster patents.

Since the triangular projections 23 and 24 on the bottom member 19 must cooperateY with the side walls 12 and 13 to confine the contents of the container, it is imperative that the upper edges of these projections abut precisely against the edges of the notches 2,5. To this end, the side walls 12 and `13 are each provided with a plurality of guide devices which serve to guide the projections 23 and'24 into the planes of the side walls and to hold these projections in position thereafter. These guides are shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings.

The outer surface of each of the side Walls A12. and 13 has welded thereto a pair ofelongated guides 32, each of which extends a substantial distance along an edge of the notch 25 in such side wall. As best shown in Fig. 5, each of the guides 32 is bent outwardly at a location adjacent the edge of the notch 25 with which it is associated, to provide a laterally projecting portion 33 which slopes upwardly toward the edge of the notch 25.

The inner surface of each of the end walls 12 and 13 also has guides secured thereto by welding, or other suitable means. A pair of these guides, designated generally by the numerals 34, are disposed adjacent the lower ends of the elongated guides 32 on the exterior of the'container, and are bent in a manner similar to that described above in connection With the guides 32 to provide inwardly extending portions 35 which slope upwardly toward the edge of the notch 25.

' A third guide 36 is secured to the inner surface of each of the end walls 12 and 13 adjacent the apex of the triangular notch 25 therein. Each of the guides 36includes a large planar portion 37 which is secured rigidly to an end wall ofthe container in face-to-face contact therewith and overlapping the apex of thetriangular notch therein to a substantial extent, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. The lower end of each of the guides 36 is bent inwardly along a horizontal line 38 extending entirely across the apex of the notch 25 to provide an inwardly projecting portion 39 which slopes toward the plane of the end Wall of the container.

These guides 32, 34 and 36 cooperate effectively to assure that the projections 23 and 24 on the bottom member 19 of the container will move into abutting relationship with respect to the edges of the notches 25 in the side walls 12 and 13 during the closing of the bottom member 19. As the bottom member 19 swings upwardly from the position illustrated in Fig. 3, the upper edges of the projections 23 and 24 contact such of the sloping surfaces of the laterally projecting portions 33, 35 vand 39 of the guides as may be necessary in order to move the projections `23 and 24 `into the planes of the side walls V12 and 13. Y Y Y When the bottom member 19 is in the" closed position illustrated in Figs. 2, 4 andrS, the planar rectangular portion 37 of the uppermost guide 36 secured to each of the side walls serve to backup the adjacent notch 25 so that it is not possible for either of the projections 23 or 24 to move inwardly'with respect to its side wall. This relationship vassures that there will be no cracks or openings in theV sides ofy the container, even when twisting loads are applied thereto, as for example, when the container mustr'rest upon `uneven ground.

Moreover, it will 'be noted that each of the guides 36,

due to the bend 38 therein, has substantially rigidity in a plane parallel to the side wall to which it is secured. Since the guides 36 are secured to the side walls 12 and 13, this increase in rigidity imparts additional strength to the side walls themselves. Consequently, there is very little tendency for the side walls to bend in such a manner that the stresses might be concentrated at the apices of the notches 25.

Although the invention has been described and illustrated in connection with a simple drop bottom container, it will be evident that the principles thereof may be applied to other containers, such, for example, as side opening containers, multilevel containers, etc. Still other variations and modifications of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. It is intended, therefore, that the foregoing description should be considered as exemplary only, and that the scope of the invention should be ascertained from the following claims.

We claim:

l. In a drop bottom container for transporting and dumping equipment, which container includes a generally rectangular assembly of side walls, a bottom member mounted for swinging movement about an axis substantially parallel to a pair of said side walls into and out of closing relationship with respect to the lower end of said assembly of side walls, the remaining pair of side walls of said assembly being substantially perpendicular to said axis and having upwardly converging, generally triangular notches in their lower end portions, triangular projections rigid with said bottom member and extending upwardly therefrom into abutting relationship with the edges of said notches to ll said notches when said bottom member is closed, means attached to the upper end portions of said projections and extending laterally therefrom'in position to be engaged by means for lifting the container, and elongated guides attached to the exterior faces of the last-mentioned side walls adjacent the sides of said notches for guiding said projections during upward movement thereof, the improvement which comprises a plate xed rigidly to the inner surface of each of the last-mentioned side walls on both sides of and above the apex of the notch therein, each of said plates having a generally rectangular rst portion disposed in face-toface contact with the inner surface of the side wall to which it is xed and extending completely across the apex of the notch therein, each of said plates having also an inwardly bent lower end portion which slopes upwardly toward the plane of the side wall to which it is attached to guide a projection on said bottom member into such plane during closing of the bottom member, and a pair of short guides xed'to the inner surface of each of said last-mentioned side walls adjacent the lower ends of said elongated guides.

2. A container comprising a generally rectangular assembly of side walls, a bottom member mounted for swinging movement about an axis substantially parallel to a pair of said side walls into and out of closing relationship with respect to the lower end of said assembly of side walls, the remaining pair of side walls of said assembly being substantially perpendicular to said axis and having upwardly converging, generally triangular notches in their lower end portions, triangular projections rigid with said bottom member and extending upwardly therefrom into abutting relationship with the edges of said notches to fill said notches when said bottom member is closed, means attached to the upper end portions of said projections and extending laterally therefrom in position to be engaged by means for lifting the container, and a plate fixed rigidly to the inner surface of each of the last-mentioned side walls adjacent the notch therein, each of said plates having a generally rectangular rst portion disposed in face-to-face contact with the inner surface of the side wall to which it is fixed, the lower edge of the plate extending completely across the notch so that the plate covers the apex of the notch, each of said plates having also an inwardly bent lower end portion which slopes upwardly toward the plane of the side wall to which it is attached to guide a projection on said bottom member into such plane during closing of the bottom member.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,772,919 Jones Dec. 4, 1956 

